If I am honest, coming out of an incredible summer camp season is sometimes lost on me because I am so spent - or maybe that’s just me because I am in the senior spectrum relative to most of our staff. ;) I think that often happens in our lives daily too, because we fail to count our blessings when we are weary in our walk. It is really a matter of perspective which starts in our hearts. What changes when we approach our lives daily with an attitude of gratitude? In Luke 17:11-19, we encounter a story that sheds some light on this question. When we examine this passage, we find both a profound lesson in true worship and our common tendency toward entitlement. In the assessment of my own faith and the modern church, if we are not thoughtful, we too often operate from a posture of consumers vs. worshippers. The story Luke records takes place as Jesus journeys toward Jerusalem. On His journey, He encounters ten lepers. In this dire context, the lepers stand at a distance, begging for mercy. Their plight is symbolic of our own spiritual condition. All of us are in need of healing, cast out from the presence of a holy God. These men approached Jesus with the hope of being restored. Notice how they call out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” This cry illuminates a crucial point: when we acknowledge our brokenness and seek God’s mercy, we are postured to receive His grace. Jesus responds to their plea not with immediate healing but with a command: “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” Here, faith is intertwined with action. The lepers obey, and as they walk, they find themselves cleansed. What happens next is both beautiful and unsettling. Of the ten men healed, only one returns to give thanks to Jesus. Luke is intentional in pointing out that this thankful Samaritan is not toward God and expresses itself in worship. The absence of the other nine speaks volumes. How easy it is to receive blessings without returning to the Giver in gratitude! How many of our blessings do we take for granted or, worse, believe they are deserved. This passage should challenge our hearts; it can expose the reality of our own misframed perspective. In Jesus’ response to the returning leper, He asks, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?” This moment serves as a reminder that God desires our gratitude. He treasures those who, recognizing His grace, respond in a true spirit of worship. It is the natural response of a heart that understands the depth of its need and the richness of God’s provision. In a world that often promotes self gratification and dissatisfaction, I want to embrace the lesson from Luke 17:11-19. Daily, I want to be like the Samaritan who returned - a living testimony of gratitude that overflows into worship. Gratitude should be the posture of our hearts evidence of a life surrendered to the glory of God.
Tim Hale
Director of Development
